February 1, 2022

Posted on by Troop 177 Webmaster

In this week’s newsletter

This Week’s Meeting

Tomorrow’s meeting will be IN PERSON! We’re meeting at the church, and we’ll be watching a video of a school board meeting inside for Citizenship in the Community Requirement 3 (at least 3a and possibly 3b).
I also want you to research 3 organizations that you could possibly volunteer with for requirement 7a. You don’t necessarily need to make a whole slide presentation, but be prepared to tell us a little bit about the organizations you researched.   

If you need places to look up volunteer opportunities, handsonatlanta.org, unitedway.org, and volunteermatch.org are great places to start.

Also, please take two minutes to complete this form for the movie we will watch for requirement 5: https://forms.gle/wN54jEPH11caY5dB6

Thanks and see you Tuesday at the Church (same place we usually meet).

Autumn

Advancement Saturday

Advancement Saturday is right around the corner!  Join us on February 5th at OGUMC for some great outdoor classes.  Scouts may sign up for 1 morning activity, 1 lunchtime activity, and 1 afternoon activity.  However, Scouts do not need to stay through the whole day; they may leave once they have completed their chosen classes.  Scouts staying through lunchtime should pack their own meal.  Food will not be provided. 

We will NOT be camping overnight at OGUMC this year.  If you are in need of camping nights for OA, please e-mail Mr. Taylor.

Scouts are still expected to participate in Scout Sunday services on February 6th, either at OGUMC or at their own place of worship.  

Please bring $15, either cash or check.  Funds collected will go toward purchasing new equipment for the Troop.

Register for Scout Saturday at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FA4AA2BAAF94-advancement

Scout Sunday

Oak Grove UMC will celebrate Scout Sunday on Sunday, February 6 during the 11:00 AM Traditional Service. Several scouts from across all four units (Troop 77, Troop 177, Crew 77, and Pack 577) will participate in the service, which will be streamed live from the sanctuary. This year, due to the low
capacity in the sanctuary, scouts who are not participating directly in the service are encouraged to join the live stream. We are working to secure a space inside at a location outside the Church for all Scouts, Adult Leaders, and Scout Families to gather on Sunday, February 6th and watch the OGUMC service
online together in uniform, etc.

Cumberland Island Camping Trip

We are moving ahead with plans to visit Cumberland Island as our February camping trip. The deadline to register for this trip is next Monday, February 7th, at 10:00 p.m.

Note that even if you were registered for the trip in January, you will still need to register again.

For more information you can review the updated Trip Sheet.

If you’re planning to go (even if you registered for the January trip), please Register Online.

OA Elections

Troop 177 will be holding elections for the Order of the Arrow at our meeting on Tuesday March 8th. Any Scout who is at least First Class rank, and has 15 camping nights in the last two years (since March 2020) is eligible for election into the Order of the Arrow. We currently have two Scouts who will be eligible for election, and another two who are right on the edge, and could be by March 8th. If you are interested and think you are close please talk to Mr. Taylor ASAP.

Scout Day at the Capitol

March 9, 2022 | Georgia State Capitol

Scouting prepares young people to be good citizens. Spend the day witnessing first-hand the political process in Georgia. Take on the Capitol Scavenger Hunt. Watch your legislators recognize your Scouts from the House Gallery. And have a chance to ask actual representatives your most pressing questions! 

The Capitol will provide a note explaining the activities the Scouts participated in during the day. This event starts at 7:45 AM. Please check with your school’s administrative staff to determine if this will qualify as an excused absence. 

For more information and to sign up visit: https://www.atlantabsa.org/ScoutCapitol

Shooting Sports Days

Upcoming Atlanta BSA Events:

Open Shoot – Archery, Rifle, or Shotgun
Date: February 19 from 9AM-4PM
Location: Bert Adams Scout Camp – 218 Scout Rd, Covington, GA 30016
Cost: $10 per session

Open Shoot – Archery, Rifle, or Shotgun
Date: April 2 from 9AM-4PM
Location: Woodruff Scout Camp – 31 Woodruff Dr, Blairsville, GA 30152
Cost: $10 per session

Note: This is not a merit badge day. Scouts can sign up for one session in the morning and another in the afternoon, or the same one all day. For signup information: https://www.atlantabsa.org/shootingdays

Summer Camp

We are still a couple of months off from summer camp registration, but some of the High Adventure programs fill up early. If you will be 13 by June 1st, 2022 and would like to participate in one of the High Adventure Treks offered through Camp Daniel Boone, instead of the traditional summer camp program, please read through the High Adventure Guide to find out what programs are offered and what is involved in each program, then register through the troop Summer Camp Registration Form.

National Youth Leadership Training

NYLT is a week-long advanced leadership course designed to teach Scouts the tools, techniques and skills they need to be better leaders – not only in their units, but also at home, in school, and in their daily lives. The Atlanta Area Council offers this several times throughout the year. This is a great opportunity to hone your leadership skills (and it looks great on a college resume). Introduction to Leadership Skill for Troops is a prerequisite for NYLT. This is a one day course taught at the troop level, and we will be scheduling this for the spring. If you are interested in attending please visit the Atlanta Area Council NYLT page or talk to Mr. Taylor or Mr. Wheeler about what’s involved.

If you have already attended NYLT, you can also serve on staff for one of the upcoming NYLT weeks. See the above website for details.

Service Opportunities

Mr. Taylor sent an email to all Life Scouts (or their parents) in Troop 177 about a potential Eagle Project at Frazier Rowe Park. If you would like information about pursuing this project, please contact Mr. Taylor or Ms. Marilyn.

Merit Badge Opportunities

Several Merit Badges are available for Scouts at this month’s Advancement Saturday. See above for details.

Atlanta Area Council has announced all of the Merit Badge summits for 2022. The first one falls on February 5th, which also coincides with the Troop 77 & 177 advancement day. Many of the same Merit Badges offered by the council will be offered at the troop level. We encourage everyone in the troop to participate in advancement day.
To learn more about other Merit Badge Summits planned this year, visit: https://www.atlantabsa.org/MeritBadgeSummit

Northeast Georgia Council is holding the Appalachee District Advance-A-Rama February 26, 2022 at Central Gwinnett HIgh School in Lawrenceville. For more information at to register visit: https://www.nega-bsa.org/APAAR

Atlanta Area Council offers many merit badge offerings throughout the year. Upcoming Merit Badges include Automotive Maintenance on February 12, and Aviation offered March 12, April 16, and May 14.
More information about these and other Merit Badge programs at: https://www.atlantabsa.org/meritbadgedays

Chattahoochee Nature Center offers nature themed merit badge classes on the weekends in the Spring through Fall. Upcoming classes include Mammal Study on February 27.
For more information and to register visit: https://www.chattnaturecenter.org/education/scouts/scouts-bsa/

Dunwoody Nature Center also offers a number of nature related Merit Badges. Upcoming classes include: Bird Study February 19 and Nature April 9.
Learn more and register at: https://dunwoodynature.org/scout-merit-badges/

Daniel Boone Council headquartered in Asheville, NC has a rolling slate of virtual merit badge programs, with new merit badges offered every week. These are usually two sessions in the late afternoon or evening. There are quite a few popular merit badges including a large selection of Eagle Required. These usually fill up, but if you look at later weeks, there are plenty of seats still open.
Learn more and register at: https://www.danielboonecouncil.org/virtual

Merit Badge Process

For any Merit Badge that a Scout works on, the first step in the process is to have a discussion with the Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster and get a signed blue card. While Troop 177 has embraced digital blue cards, Scouts still need to have a discussion with one of the adult leaders in the troop and get either a physical or digital sign off before beginning wok on the Merit Badge. You are welcome to sign up for any of the Merit Badges offerings that are listed on the website, please remember to talk to Mr. Taylor or one of the ASMs to get approval for the merit badge before taking the class.

Troop Communication

Please be sure to join our Remind Classes to get notifications on all of the Troop 177 happenings. There is an app, but you can choose to get notifications via text messages or email.

Troop 177 Parents

Troop 177 Scouts